OKC Thunder Championship Alleviates Pressure for Next Season

Oklahoma City’s expectations haven’t changed, but there is far less pressure to perform next season.

Entering the 2025 playoffs, the Thunder were the favorite to raise the Larry O’Brien. With a 68-win regular season leading to a massive lead in the Western Conference and home court throughout the postseason, the Thunder had almost everything on their side for a title run.

However, the Thunder’s hopes of hanging their first championship banner were in doubt multiple times throughout. With 2-1 deficits and Game 7s against Denver and Indiana, the Thunder were a bad performance away from a much less satisfying ending.

Going into next season, Oklahoma City is again considered the favorite to win it all, which would make it the first team to win consecutive titles since the Golden State Warriors in 2017-18. While being a favorite certainly comes with expectations, the Thunder won’t feel mounting pressure.

Winning solves everything

After the Thunder won their first NBA title, the entire city and state gathered to celebrate. Although the team is set to be title contenders through the rest of the decade and potentially beyond, winning an NBA championship lasts forever.

It also means this era of the Thunder has a luxury that the first era didn’t have. Defined by being so close but never getting the job done, the Kevin Durant-Russell Westbrook Thunder saw pressure mount and grow taller before every season.

Of course, with a title already won, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and company don’t need to worry about that. There aren’t any questions about whether they can get the job done because they already have.